Jenny McCarthy, Ryan Seacrest reveal why 1 musical guest will make 2019 'sentimental'

Seacrest and McCarthy first joined forces nine years ago in Times Square.

December 28, 2018, 10:13 AM

Ryan Seacrest will be back in Times Square for "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" and his co-host Jenny McCarthy says ringing in 2019 will be "very sentimental."

The show, known for its incredible musical numbers and array of A-list talent, will include sets from the Chainsmokers, Halsey and Post Malone this year.

VIDEO: Ryan Seacrest and Jenny McCarthy dish on 'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin'
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It will also bring McCarthy's now-husband, Donnie Wahlberg, the lead singer of New Kids on the Block, back to the stage where they first met nine years ago.

"Nine years ago it was my first time hosting -- the band was coming up to talk to Ryan to be interviewed and I heard, 'Hey, Jenny McCarthy and I turned around and I said, 'Hi, Donnie Wahlberg,' and I had never met him before," she said on "GMA."

"Little butterflies happened and then I wound up falling madly in love with him. Now so this year he's performing again, I'm hosting so it's going to be very sentimental."

Actors Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg arrive at the 2014 Creative Arts Emmy Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Aug. 16, 2014, in Los Angeles.
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The couple has shared "four years of married bliss" but this is the first time in nine years that Wahlberg and McCarthy share the stage again as performer and host.

Seacrest, who is also executive producer of the show, said they have "all the bases covered" but he's hoping for slightly warmer weather than last year.

"I think the windchill was minus 2 for the entire night," he recalled. "I could barely speak because your jaw starts to freeze."

McCarthy said they used portable hand warmers on their faces to get some relief from the cold.

"It was 9:30 and I started crying because it was so cold and then I went, 'I can't do it anymore. I quit,'" she joked. "I hung in there and thanks to, you know, my husband who kept me warm."

Ryan Seacrest and Jenny McCarthy host "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve" on ABC during the 2018 New Year.
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With millions of people standing in Times Square and even more watching from home, McCarthy rarely gets nervous.

"I don't feel pressure. I feel like I'm just talking to someone at home," she said.

Seacrest, however, said he feels "a lot of pressure."

"I want to get it right, not screw it up. Make sure because it's kind of key that we time the show right to midnight," he said.

But there's one thing the host revealed he has not prepared: a New Year's resolution.

"I don't have one," he said.

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